<p>Hi does anyone know anything about the Montclair State BFA acting program? How selective is it? Is it good training? Anything people can tell me I would love to hear!! Thanks!</p>
<p>Montclair State is a relatively easy school to get into academically, but the Acting BFA is very artistically selective. They audition hundreds, perhaps more than 1000, for about 16 spots. It looks like a great program - my D applied last year (and was rejected). They do have MT there, as you probably know. The whole Performing Arts department is very strong, very exciting. If you haven’t visited - the campus is very nice, very pretty, very new PA buildings. There is a train station across the street that will take you to Penn Station.</p>
<p>Montclair State is very much a commuter school. They are working on their residential programs, but if you are looking for a “typical” college atmosphere, it’s not there yet. Theatre kids do tend to live on campus, and like at many similar schools do tend to create a residential life for themselves. But it can be a challenge. The town of Montclair is very nice - stores, restaurants, parks, etc. - and fairly close to campus.</p>
<p>There also is a very nice BA in Theatre. One thing we were late in learning is that you have to make a specific effort to apply to the BA - instead of an audition, they have an interview, which you can do in person or over the phone. So if you are rejected from the BFA, you do have to make sure you take the steps to be considered for the BA (as opposed to with other schools, where the BA is only an academic application, or where they funnel you directly into the BA from the BFA audition).</p>
<p>Everything else we know is from the website. Maybe NJTheatreMom will chime in - she knows some kids who have gone through their program.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Montclair State, like many state colleges, originated as a teacher’s college, but has expanded. Its performing arts programs are excellent, and the campus hosts a theater which attracts world-class performers. I visited it with my son, and he simply didn’t care for the campus environment. He would not have considered attending for anything other than the Acting BFA, and decided not to apply in the end. One appealing aspect of their program is that they allow students to apply and audition for non-binding early decision. The student has to apply for general admission to the university first (they have rolling admissions), and then be invited to audition. So few BFA programs offer non-binding early decisions or rolling admissions that I found MSU’s offer very attractive (we’re also NJ residents, so the price-tag is appealing). My son simply didn’t care for MSU - the BFA would have been a “reach” for him, as it is for everyone; the BA would have been “safe” for him, as an in-state applicant with academic stats well above their range, but he chose Columbia College Chicago as his safety school instead.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! 
That’s very helpful. If anyone else has anything to add, that would be great too.</p>
<p>We live in Southern NJ, near Philadelphia. Many of my son’s local “theatre kid” friends have done the BA in theatre at Montclair and loved it; these kids wanted the residential college experience and are NOT commuters. </p>
<p>My son applied to the BFA program back in 2009 and had a very good audition experience and was pleased to be accepted, but he ended up attending a different BFA program.</p>
<p>The MSU BFA program has a very solid reputation. When my son was auditioning at SUNY Purchase, a freshman in their program (a boy who had squeaked into Purchase off the waiting list), mentioned that he had a very good opinion of Montclair and would have applied if he had known more about it when he was in high school.</p>
<p>how many kids do they accept/we audition next month/good school?</p>
<p>Can anyone clarify Montclair’s policy on what looks like ‘cuts’ to me–
From its website:</p>
<p>“note: All Theatre & Dance majors must pass yearly juries/portfolio reviews and faculty evaluation for continuation in the programs.”</p>
<p>Evaluations like this are not exactly cuts. Some schools are stricter than others about allowing students to continue in the program, and that’s what juries would determine.</p>
<p>Cuts are different: Cuts in this context are when a school deliberately admits a higher number of freshmen than it intends to allow to return for a second year. They “cut” a certain number of students at the end of the year, often regardless of the quality of their work, just to achieve a certain maximum number of students as sophomores.</p>
<p>A school could have juries and be strict, but could allow every student to continue. In that case - and with all probability in Montclair’s case - no one would be cut.</p>
<p>Can anyone update on the current status of BFA Acting auditions/offers/program details that are current? Very curious. We are flying out to NJ to attend an audition, but have little info other than the website. Would love to hear some personal experiences.</p>
<p>@calliene on the MT board has a daughter who is a freshman in their MT program now. I’m sure she’d be happy to answer questions, though I think acting and MT are separate there. </p>
<p>My D audition for Montclair at LA Unifieds back in February as a walk-in. She received her acceptance into the BFA Acting program about a month ago. We are still considering that option and will be visiting campus again (we briefly visited earlier this month when we were out east for another school’s callbacks) in a few weeks to try to sit in on classes and see a production. What questions do you have?</p>
<p>Would love to hear about a student attending there that loves the program, or doesn’t and why? What do the classes entail? Do the faculty connect well with the students? Are the performances they put up in their theatre impressive or just okay? I guess bottom line… how good is the training?</p>
<p>My son knows quite a few kids who have gone to Montclair and loved it. A Purchase student we talked to who got into that school off the waitlist said he wished he’d known about Montclair when he was applying to colleges. </p>
<p>We have seen productions at Montclair and have been impressed. The training there is excellent, from all I’ve heard.</p>
<p>Although my son did not end up going, he was accepted by Montclair last year. It seems like a very strong program, the theatre kids do not tend to be commuter kids and the facilities are wonderful. I was impressed with the curriculum and my son with the professors. </p>
<p>I am currently a BFA Acting major at Montclair State University about to start my senior year in the Fall and I love it there.
The technique we use is Stanislavsky based acting training, Linklater/Skinner for Voice/Speech, Bogart/Suzuki for Movement.
Montclair believes in learning by DOING, which is why they try to cast as many people as possible in their shows every semester-- whether it be a mainstage production or a workshop or even a staged reading. They want their students to WORK.
You will study contemporary works, Shakespeare, improvisation, Greek tragedy, Restoration, and also forming your own work.
The current head of our program is Heather Benton who received her MFA in Acting from Harvard (ART).
Another amazing thing about this program is that they allow you to audition for outside projects, as long as they do not interfere with class work or rehearsals. Being so close to the city, this is a major benefit to our program. You can start building your resume before you leave the program and hopefully get some work on their by the time Senior Showcase comes around.
Senior Showcase is basically auditioning and workshopping with casting directors and agents in your final semester of training-- hopefully to be signed with an agent, of course, but even if you are not signed, the workshops and classes you take while preparing for the showcase allow you to network and build connections with industry professionals.
At Montclair State we are all about supporting each other and I have never experienced anything but warmth and encouragement from professors and classmates. I would describe the BFA Acting program as a family.
It is vigorous and you will be challenged but in the best way possible.
I recommend this BFA Acting program to anyone looking for great training in a great environment, on a college campus but still so close to NYC.</p>